


fire and ice

by moonlitceleste



Series: Maribat Platonic November 2020 [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, but so is dick, mari is too competitive for her own good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:33:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlitceleste/pseuds/moonlitceleste
Summary: Maribat Platonic November Day 6 - SkatesMarinette, against all her better judgement, was never one to turn down a challenge.
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Dick Grayson, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Jason Todd, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kaldur'ahm (DCU)
Series: Maribat Platonic November 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006653
Comments: 3
Kudos: 83





	fire and ice

“How did I get myself into this,” Marinette grumbled as she laced up her ice skates, fingers moving deftly. The question was unnecessary, since she knew exactly how she got into this—she was way too competitive. One thing Marinette never backed down from was a challenge, which is precisely what got her into this situation.

What situation, you might ask? Well, she—an inexperienced skater with absolutely no formal training—was currently preparing to perform a full-length figure skating routine while holding flaming sticks of  [ fire ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_fan) in her hands.

It had all started a few weeks ago when Marinette and Dick decided to go skating together. The days were starting to get colder, warm air turning frigid. Winter activities were starting to finally emerge again, and since they hadn’t seen each other in a while, the two decided to meet up at a rink. It was empty, rented privately using Bruce’s money. Once the two exchanged hugs and greeting, they skated out onto the ice for what was supposed to be a fun activity. It was clear that both had talent; Dick was surprised once Marinette revealed she had only skated a few times before, as she seemed to be a natural and was capable of some pretty advanced moves.

Curious about the extent of her ability, he asked her to try out a few tricks, which she was able to execute with near perfection. They spent a while testing her skills before Dick concluded she was on about the same level as him. Marinette smirked at that—it meant they could push each other and see who was better.

And that’s exactly what they did. Experimental moves escalated into questionable stunts, which eventually turned into challenges of “I bet you can’t do that!” Their tricks grew increasingly more dangerous by the minute until the two sat panting on the ice, exhausted by the competition.

Dick, however, was determined to beat Marinette. He presented a challenge—the two would come up with a routine, following a specific set of rules to see who was better once and for all. He knew her pride wouldn’t allow her to back down, and it didn’t.

After her agreement the two spent a while coming up with terms, which manifested in the following list:

  1. Routines must be original.
  2. They must be at least three minutes long, but no longer than five.
  3. They must be performance-ready in three weeks.
  4. Props are allowed.
  5. No bribing the judges.



It was admittedly short, but there wasn’t much more that needed to be said. Once the list was made the two shook on it and split ways.

Marinette headed home to start brainstorming ideas. There was no way she could lose; she had invested too much stock in the situation. Her only goal for the next three weeks was to beat Dick and wipe the smug smile he was bound to have off come performance day.

She immediately texted Jason; she desperately needed a “wow factor” in her routine and there was no better person to ask. There technically weren’t any rules against asking for help anyways. Jason’s immediate response was “fire” followed by an “I’m joking please don’t do that.” 

Marinette’s mind, however, was running.  _ Fire. _ It didn’t seem like a bad idea at all—Dick had the advantage of experience, so she needed something showy to beat him. She smiled, mind made up. If it was fire he wanted, it was fire he would get.

-

Marinette cursed her ambition as she stretched, preparing for her performance. She was confident in her routine, having practiced it over and over again, perfecting every move.

But when she spoke with Dick earlier in the day, there was a knowing glint in his eyes that threw her off. It was suspicious. Marinette knew he’d never cheat or sabotage her, but there was  _ something _ there. He had a trick up his sleeve. She had been so busy working on her own routine that thinking of Dick’s hadn’t crossed her mind. The feeling of being unprepared was one she hated, yet it plagued her mind now.

Marinette shook her head as she did her last stretch—there was no time to dwell on that. Her performance was the first out of the two, decided by a coin flip earlier. The panel of judges, which was made up of the Wayne family, agreed to give Dick and Marinette time to prepare before the first performance, after which they would meet up for salutations and a final word from the judges. In any other situation a panel comprised solely of the family of one of the competitors would be considered biased, but Dick argued that half of them favored her anyway. She couldn’t disagree.

Marinette walked out of the locker room in her figure skating dress, fire fans in hand, to the agreed meeting area. Just when was about to turn the last corner, she felt herself slam into a body. Her skates did nothing to aid her with balance, and she stumbled backwards clumsily. She squeezed her eyes shut right before she hit the ground and stayed in that position for a few seconds before realizing she hadn’t felt an impact yet.

Marinette slowly opened her eyes to see someone holding her hand to keep her steady.

“Kaldur?!”

She couldn’t contain the squeak that came out of her mouth, and her cheeks grew red at her reaction.

“Wha-What are you doing here?”

“I invited him.”

For the first time, Marinette looked up and noticed the other people in the room. She had forgotten this was the agreed area of congregation; the judges were all seated in the bleachers alongside a few people she hadn’t expected to see. They were all staring at her amusedly. 

She glanced at Dick, who had just spoken, and then back to the rest of the Young Justice team.

“You don’t mind that I invited them, do you?”

The question posed was stated much too innocently for his intentions to be pure.  _ Why would he _ —oh _. _ Marinette knew exactly what he was doing. Dick was trying to trip her up by inviting the team. He knew she got flustered around Kaldur and was likely hoping she would get distracted and mess up because of that. Marinette would have none of that today.

“They can leave if they make you nervous. Unless you’re worried you just can’t do it.”

Oh, now he was just trying to push her buttons. She gritted her teeth and leaned forward with narrowed eyes.

“I know exactly what you’re doing,  _ Dick. _ ”

He smiled.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Marinette scowled and stalked away, prepared to light her fire fans. Crush or not, she would win this competition.


End file.
